Pizza Hut Asia Hires Softbank's Pepper Robot for Customer Service

August 30, 2016

Pizza Hut is set to trial Pepper, the humanoid robot created by SoftBank, as a customer service tool in its restaurants in Asia.

Beginning at the end of 2016, the pilot will use the robot for taking customer’s orders and take payment, powered by MasterCard’s MasterPass platform. Customers will be able to pair their MasterPass account with Pepper’s technology by selecting an option within the wallet app or scanning a QR code on the robot’s attached tablet.

Pepper will also provide personalised recommendations and offers, additional information on products, and assistance with the checkout process. You can watch a demo video showing the robot in action below.

“Core to our digital transformation journey is the ability to make it easier for customers to engage, connect and transact with Pizza Hut,” said Pizza Hut Asia MD Vipul Chawla. “With an order and payment-enabled Pepper, customers can now come to expect personalised ordering at our stores, reduce wait time for carry-out, and have a fun, frictionless user experience.”

This is the first commercial application of Pepper, but MasterCard says it shows the potential for other opportunities across retail, travel and finance brands.